Considering that this past November officially thrusted us headlong into a new generation of games, we can all fully admit that 2007-2008 were the greatest years of the past generation. Right?

With incredible games like Super Mario Galaxy, the establishment of new IPs like Mass Effect,BioShock and Assassin’s Creed, and Infinity Ward’s rise to mega-stardom and yearly dominance with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the landscape of gaming was forever changed into the juggernaut industry that it is today.

However, that’s not to say that 2013 was bad. Actually, I thought 2013 was pretty f*cking awesome. I played A LOT of games this year — probably more than I have in recent years — and it was probably one of my favorite years of gaming ever, and it made for an awesome send-off for the generation.

With that said, when it comes down to my favorite games from this year, I can only narrow down the list to 10. Keep in mind, “favorite” is a lot different than “best.” (I regrettably never got around to playing Papers, Please, Super Mario 3D World, Luigi’s Mansion, The Wolf Among Us, andBrothers: A Tale of Two Sons, so don’t be mad that they aren’t on the list. From what I understand, they’re all outstanding games, and I truly intend on getting around to them.)

And while I can only fit 10 games on the list, there were a few that were just short of making it; I’ll consider them honorable mentions, and they are:

Ni No Kuni
I blame the fact that Ni No Kuni came out during the beginning of the year for it not being higher on my list. JRPGs typically take me forever to play through (and I love them more for it), so while I was really enjoying my time with the game, the busy March release schedule sidetracked me and I never got to finish it.

However, it’s an outstanding JRPG that blends the best of Pokemon and Dragon Quest and mashes them together with a beautiful symphonic soundtrack and gorgeous artwork (done by the wonderful Studio Ghibli). As far as 2013 goes, I think it’ll be hard to find a JRPG that’s better.

And Mr. Drippy is one hell of character.

Resogun
If it wasn’t for another game that’s in my top 10, this would be the best game on PS4 right now. Actually, depending on how you look at it, it probably is. Resogun is insanely addicting, and was one of the few games this year that had me chasing high scores on my friends’ leaderboards list for hours, reminding me of the old days when high scores weren’t just a part of the game, butwere the game.

What seems like classic side-scrolling space shooter gameplay is turned on its head when you factor in trying to keep your multiplier up, saving all ten humans in each level, the DualShock 4 talking to you (if you’ve played it, you know what I mean), the pumping techno soundtrack, and the overall level of chaos that is blowing your mind on screen. And holy sh*t, is the game gorgeous or what?

When I’ve only got little time to spare, Resogun is my go-to, and although I get furious when I lose a multiplier or a human, I can’t help but start all over because the game is just so damn fun. If you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber and you have a PS4, it’s currently free, so do yourself a favor and get it.

Gone Home
I really struggled with determining whether or not Gone Home would make the cut; it’s precisely a game that might not have been my favorite, but I’m almost certain was one of 2013’s best. This indie exploration/narrative game (that poor excuse for a genre was completely made up in my head about three seconds ago) is a great example of the kinds of the experiences that are only possible with video games.The conversation comes up time and time again about whether or notGone Home is a game or whether games can be art, and I can happily admit a resounding “yes” to both of those questions.

I played Dear Esther (a similar kind of “game”) last year, and wasn’t too blown away by it, despite the positive feedback. I was essentially holding W on my keyboard and listening to an old dude tell me a story I really didn’t have any sort of emotional connection to. I got what it was trying to accomplish, but something just didn’t click for me.

With Gone Home, however, these issues were null; the message and execution wasn’t as straight-forward, as you’re presented with a vacant home filled with evidence of lives lived and mysteries unsolved. The question is no longer whether Gone Home is a game, but rather, “Why?”

“Why is my sister missing?” “Why is my mother fooling around with another guy?” “Why did my father — and established author — stop writing?”

Gone Home tells a powerfully intimate and touching story that can only be told through exploration of the Greenbriar family’s home, almost to the point where it feels as though you’re invading their privacy. It’s a story that you have to experience for yourself to really get invested in, but once you do, it’s overwhelmingly clear that its excellence in its execution is something that can only be done in a game.

Also, the abundance of 90’s nostalgia is awesome. Pulp Fiction FTW.

And now, without any further hesitation, my top 10 favorite games of 2013:

10. Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus

Into the Nexus kind of slipped out just before the busy holiday season this year, but I’m so glad that I didn’t skip out on it. Action-platformers were practically booming at their peak during the PS2/Xbox/GameCube era, but lately they feel like they’ve almost become as niche as JRPGs and strategy games. Ratchet and Clank excluded, the genre was generally marketed towards the younger audience (Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal, Size Matters, Quest for Booty, Full Frontal Assault…need I say more?). Most of the younger kids these days couldn’t care less about them and would rather play another generic online war-shooter, resulting in almost zero marketing and suffering sales.

This kind of shift is a shame, but the developers at Insomniac Games haven’t given up on what’s undoubtedly the best franchise of its genre.

Into the Nexus is R&C’s swansong title on the PS3, and while it’s only 5 or 6 hours long (priced fairly at $29.99, and with plenty of replay value), the game didn’t skimp on the insanely fun and sci-fi action the series has been known for.

With a ton of upgradeable weapons, Pixar quality graphics, witty humor, charming characters, and a great tribute to the rest of the series, Into the Nexus was one of the biggest surprises for me this year, and was an absolute blast to play through.

With so many dramatic and narrative-heavy titles this year, Into the Nexus reminded me that, along with a light-hearted story, sometimes it’s nice to just jump around and blow stuff up every once and while.

9. Guacamelee

Guacamelee is the Mexican “Metroidvania” game I never knew I wanted. Available on the PS3 and Vita, Guacamelee brings fierce wrestling maneuvers and combat abilities to extremely clever platforming, and does it with hilarious presentation with so many pop culture and video game references that I couldn’t stop smiling.

I’ll never forget being chased through a level by a giant dragon destroying everything in its path, only to stumble upon a golden axe at the opposite end of a bridge, triggering the bridge to stutteringly collapse, plummeting the dragon into lava, and then being told, “Sorry Luchador, but your princess is in another castle.”

Classic.

The misconception that the Vita lacks games can go to hell, as this brilliant example is the perfect kind of game for the system, with plenty of exploration and backtracking to keep you busy for hours or in short bursts.

Also, DAT FLAMENCO SOUNDTRACK. Too good.

8. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

While AC IV could have just been a pirate game on its own — Lord knows it does “pirate” SO SO well — the fact of the matter is that AC IV does for AC III what AC II did for AC, and that’s improve upon its predecessor in every single way. (Did that make sense?)

Where AC III fumbled with its lame assassin, Connor, and slow start, AC IV gets things moving from the get-go, giving you the freedom to do whatever the hell you want as soon as you get your own ship, which is about 45 minutes into the game. Also, Edward — while not quite at the level of greatness that is Ezio Auditore — is a much more entertaining and carefree pirate assassin than his future half-Native American grandson.

The story is nothing to write home about, the future/present-tense Abstergo storyline is definitely wearing thin, and the series’ stale tailing missions make numerous appearances, but AC IV does so many things right that it’s hard to fault the game for it.

Gone are the solo naval missions; the entire map of AC IV is the Caribbean, plain and simple. I enjoyed traversing major cities in the Caribbean like Havana and Kingston (which brought back a lot of the verticality of AC II), but the majority of my time playing was spent sailing, digging up treasure, upgrading my ship, whale-hunting, diving to explore shipwrecks, and doing other pirate-y things.

And while it might get a little repetitive towards the end of the game, there’s no denying the thrill of your first ship battle and boarding a sinking enemy ship to kill its crew or take down its flag. It’s something no other game has quite done before, and it’s done very well.

Oh, and sea shanties.

7. Tearaway

If one word could describe Tearaway, it’d be charm. Media Molecule has a knack for infusing their games with a healthy dose of charm (I mean, just look at Sackboy’s smile!), and it shows withTearaway.

Not very often do I get my hands on a game and instantly recognize the ingenuity and brilliance in its game design, but Tearaway was the one of, if not the only titles, to do that for me this year.

Tearaway brilliantly utilizes all of the Vita functionalities, from both cameras (where it’ll occasionally show your face in the sun, Iota’s destination) to the rear touch pad, in such a clever way that it never feels cheap or gimmicky. Tearaway breaks the fourth wall and creates a sense of immersion that’s specifically tailored for the Vita. There aren’t too many games in history that do this, let alone this well.

While I couldn’t fathom why this little messenger would want to deliver a message to me — I admittedly looked awful every time the camera showed my face (I blame the bad angles!) — there’s no denying how beautiful and creative the game is, and shows just how much one’s imagination can accomplish with just a few strips of paper.

If you own a Vita, Tearaway is the killer app and a must-own. There’s truly no other game like it. (Once again, Vita haters can take a long walk off a short pier.)

6. Rayman Legends

I played a fair amount of platformers throughout 2013, but none of them quite reached the level of polish and frantic fun that I found with Rayman Legends. I’m fairly certain it’s the best side-scrolling platformer I’ve ever played.

Where Tearaway showed off its wonderful game design, Rayman Legends excelled in its creative level design, offering more obstacles and challenges to utilize a jump button than any other game this year. Add to that an enormous amount of level variety, humor and charm, crisp, jaw-dropping 2D visuals and artwork, plenty of unlockables and replayability, and more, and what you end up with is a platformer that stands tall and proud with (and in my opinion, taller and prouder than) some of the best 2D Mario games.

And I can’t forget the expertly crafted music levels, which has the player running full speed towards the end of the level, but forced to jump and punch their way through to the beat of several wonderfully covered classic rock songs. It’s something I’ve never seen done before in a platformer, and it’s so immensely entertaining that it’s the kind of thing anybody can play and enjoy.

Rayman Legends might lack online co-op, but as far as four player couch co-op is concerned, theNew Super Mario Bros. series has one hell of a competitor.

5. Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

A Link to the Past is arguably one of the greatest games ever made. A Link Between Worlds just might be better.

By reimagining its predecessor with the help of new game mechanics and eye-popping stereoscopic 3D visuals, A Link Between Worlds is the not only the best looking game on the 3DS, but also one of the best games on the platform.

By adding in the ability to rent (and later purchase) any classic dungeon items right from the very beginning, the entire map of Hyrule and Lorule are open for non-linear exploration, enabling dungeons to be tackled in whatever order you desire. Being able to freely roam both maps early on was a real treat, and I felt like I had a greater sense of freedom than I’ve had in previous entries in the Zelda series.

Also, what seemed like a gimmick in the previews turned out to be one of my favorite additions to the franchise: the ability to flatten into a 2D wall painting. Early on, it’s simply used to slip through bars and cross gaps. However, it’s not until later in the game that the ability’s implementation truly shines, only further highlighting the brilliance in the dungeon and overworld design.

While it still plays very much like A Link to the Past, A Link Between Worlds may not completely redefine the wheel, but it’s just another example of why Nintendo is the reigning king of taking something old-school, and making it feel fresh and innovative as if you’re playing for the very first time.

4. Grand Theft Auto V

Make no mistake about it — no other game from 2013 was bigger than Grand Theft Auto V in terms of scope, sales, or hype. It easily puts every other open-world game to shame, with Rockstar Games creating a believable, living, breathing city in Los Santos. The city is so vast and so beautiful, from the abandoned northern deserts to the flashy high life of the Vinewood hills, that the game even running on the Xbox 360 and PS3 is an impressive technological feat.

Rockstar put such incredible attention to detail, and if you thought it, you could more than likely do it. Feel like playing a round of golf? Go for it. Want to base jump off the tallest building in the city? Have at it. Want to pay for sexual favors and mercilessly get a refund? Well, you’ve always been able to do that.

Aside from the city, I fell in love with the three main protagonists — if you can call them that — and being able to switch between any one of them on the fly.

I really enjoyed Michael’s drama-filled Hollywood lifestyle, and his family and trips to his therapist were hilarious. I could level with Franklin’s desire to get out of the “hood” and create a better life for himself, looking to the elder Michael as somewhat of a mentor. And Trevor — the sadistic bastard was the best part of the game. His character was pure gold, and I vicariously lived through his madness as I shot and exploded my way through the lengthy story. And all of the characters would be nothing if not for the fantastic performances and excellent script.

Add in the huge amount of satire, mission variety, cars that actually handle well, and OH GOD THE HEISTS, and what you have is not just the best GTA by a landslide, but one of the best games ever made, period. It’s unquestionably an M-rated game and it has its moments that border on grotesque and tasteless, but every adult who loves video games will find something to love about Grand Theft Auto V.

3. Tomb Raider

I’ll be the first to admit that I hated the Tomb Raider series on the PS1. The clunky controls were a deal-breaker, and the over-sexualized badass chick with huge boobs was just a little too much for me to take seriously. (Even though that was still very much appreciated as a 12 year old.)

So it came as a huge surprise to me — and the biggest surprise of the year — that I enjoyed Tomb Raider as much as I did. Crystal Dynamics placed a normal girl in a shitty situation, and the result was this outstanding reboot that I think is going to set it up for a larger success than the franchise has ever seen.

Yes, the mass-murdering killing spree throughout the game contrasted with Lara’s weighty first kill, the tombs were essentially short puzzles that even a 4 year old could solve, and the multiplayer was atrocious, but none of these things seemed to matter to me, considering how spectacular the single-player campaign was.

I’m excited for what the future has for the Tomb Raider franchise, and that’s not something I ever saw myself saying ten years ago.

2. BioShock Infinite

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

It probably goes without saying, but if it wasn’t for my game of the year, this would’ve been it (I mean, that’s common sense, right?) In fact, after I finished BioShock Infinite for the first time, I was almost 100% certain that it was going to be my favorite game of the year and that nothing else would top it. I was that wowed by it.

In terms of art direction, Infinite wins by a mile. I got chills upon arriving in Columbia for the first time; there’s something so fantastical about a city in the sky. The bright blues and the over-saturated colors were such a sharp contrast to the dark and murky Rapture. Columbia was one of the few worlds that I traversed this year where I simply stopped playing to look around and soak in all of its beauty.

And it’s that beauty that made it the perfect backdrop for a story that’s so drenched in hidden underlying themes and mystery that I had to continue shooting and skyhooking my way through to the end to unravel it all. From the game’s central premise of rescuing Elizabeth — a marvelous technical achievement who I never felt I was merely “escorting” — to the audiologs, there were so many questions that I had throughout the game that needed answering:

"Whom does Booker owe money to?" "Why is Elizabeth locked away?" "Why is Booker branded as the ‘False Prophet?’" "Why do these odd red-headed twins keep popping up out of nowhere?"

These questions were more than answered by the game’s ending, which was the most spectacular ending I’d ever witnessed in a game. Universal tears, multiverse theories, the reveal of Booker and Elizabeth’s relationship, and the revelation that Booker and Comstock were one and the same was simply mind-blowing stuff. It was an ending that had me talking with my friends for weeks trying to wrap our heads around its complexity, which was almost as much fun as the game itself.

A lot of the story’s ambiguity had me spending hours theorizing, researching, and reading what others thought online, and I can’t remember the last time I played or watched something that provoked this much thought.

Yes, many criticisms have been said about the ending being too much of an info-dump, or how Elizabeth’s abilities and the multiverse concepts just made everything else that didn’t make sense somehow conveniently make sense. BioShock Infinite still has the most meticulously woven story I’ve ever seen told in a game, and for that, I’ll never forget it.

And although Infinite also gets its fair share of criticism about its level of violence and how the combat can be perceived as simply a mechanism to get the player through the story without any real meaning (“Why am I shooting all of these people, again?”), I thoroughly enjoyed the combat. The skylines, Vigors, and enemy variety all made for exhilarating gameplay to me.

Finally, the last minute visit to Rapture at the end of the game had me picking my jaw up off the floor and seeing how it tied into Infinite’s story left me speechless until after the credits rolled. It was one of my favorite gaming moments ever.

Also, who can forget the Luteces? Were they awesome or what?

1. The Last of Us

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**
I can distinctly remember seeing the first gameplay reveal of The Last of Us several E3’s ago. It was impressive, to say the least, and I knew that it was something to look forward to. I knew it was going to be good.

I didn’t know it was going to be that good.

It’s funny; I talk about The Last of Us almost daily, whether it be at work, with friends, or in my head. I talk about it so much that I’m almost certain my girlfriend is sick of hearing about it. I talk about it so much that there are so many words I could use to describe this game that I don’t even know where to begin, but I do know that feeling so passionate about a game that came out almost seven months ago and not being able to let go of it tells me something.

For those who bitch about it, The Last of Us isn’t original.

Everybody knows this. Shut up.

Sure, post-apocalypse is nothing new these days, and “zombie stuff” is starting to lose its appeal (if it hasn’t already). Stealth games have been done before, and probably better. Survival-horror has been done before, and — if you played Silent Hill 2 — much better.

The Last of Us doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it never claimed to; that’s not what it was trying to achieve. But everything that it does do, it does so exceptionally well that everything else I played this year paled in comparison.

Naughty Dog took everything that games had been trying to achieve for the last 7 or 8 years and nailed it, proving that gameplay-driven narrative is possible without having to succumb the player to 30 minute cutscenes (sorry Metal Gear, I love you, but yeah…), and that a game can tell a mature, emotional story that rivals some of the best in cinema and still be a game.

All of its components, from the setting to the “zombie stuff” to the gameplay were married brilliantly and culminated in everything that I look for in a game. Hell, even the multiplayer was surprisingly great.

The Last of Us made me feel every emotion in the book. For the 15-20 hours I spent playing The Last of Us, I felt comfort, terror, happiness, sadness, fatigue, love — I was a slave to its story and gameplay, and it was the most emotionally taxing game I’ve ever played.

The intro was shocking, and witnessing Sarah — a child — die was something that I didn’t see coming. It set the tone for the rest of the game and really never let go.

The moments when I had to stealthily make my way through pitch black basements, surrounded by the infected creatures had my palms sweating profusely. You seriously didn’t want to hold my controller afterwards. It was disgustingly soaked.

When an enemy encounter went haywire and my approach went to shit, I frantically scrambled to cover as the enemies tried to close in on my position, creating a gut-wrenching tension I’d never experienced before.

After spending so many hours fighting and sneaking and surviving my way through such an ugly, destroyed world, that now-infamous giraffe scene near the end of the game damn near broke me. It was so unexpected; so calming. Everything from the music to the scenery choked me up, and knowing that it wouldn’t be the end of Joel and Ellie’s nightmare of a journey broke my heart. I wished they could’ve stayed in that moment forever, and Naughty Dog giving the player the ability to let them sit there as long as they wanted was brilliant.

The pacing throughout the game was fantastic, and this scene hit at just the right time. It’s a scene will go down as my absolute favorite gaming moment; it was such a beautiful part of the game, especially after the incredible Winter chapter of the game.

Seriously — WINTER. It was masterful storytelling and gameplay at its finest.

Joel and Ellie as a pair created a wonderfully dysfunctional father/daughter relationship that moved the game along. Seeing their relationship blossom from one of burden and dislike into one of love and friendship was touching and enjoyable, and although we never get any sort of true resolution at the end of the game, the fact that it so abruptly ended with uncertainty was almost a statement to how uncertain a future in that world was to begin with.

Ellie was a great character, and her fascination in the world before the outbreak was awesome. I can only imagine what it must be like to be a kid born after the fall of society, but it was portrayed excellently with Ellie.

However, Joel was the real treat for me. I was very conflicted about my feelings of Joel when I finished the game the first time, and I think that says a lot about how well he was written. I’d spent the entirety of the game killing for the sake of survival; it was what had to be done, and I could understand that in a world like that, it’s a brutal necessity and a fact of life.

But by the end of the game, while his emotions and motives were coming from his heart, he’d become the true enemy. For the first time in a video game, I was forced to kill against the greater good. Naughty Dog had used me to tell the story they wanted to tell. Joel had murdered an entire hospital of people who had the best intentions to save our world, and he destroyed that chance over a selfish reason.

Were I truly in his shoes, I don’t know what I would’ve done, but it’s a decision I didn’t get to make — Joel made the decisions. He was just as bad, if not worse, than the thugs I’d killed to get there. And what’s worse is that he lied to Ellie about it at the end. She wanted to trust him, and although he loved her, what he’d done was out of pure selfishness and he didn’t have the guts to admit it.

It was stomach-turning, it was despicable, and it was awesome. It was an unsatisfying ending, and I loved the game more for it.

Zach Betka at GamesRadar said it best:

"Joel is not you, and he’s going to do things that you don’t like, but you are powerless. You are just moving him forward. You are not his puppet master. Don’t think that you can control these characters and their actions — play a different game if that’s the case. You need to understand that video game characters are not just vehicles for you own self-fulfillment. And that’s a killer idea.”

The Last of Us has its flaws, and it might not be the most “fun” game out there, but I’ll be damned if it’s not the best game I have ever played. It’s a game that invokes the weirdest emotion when I fire it up, and that’s that I’ve never so happy or excited to get so sad.

Thanks for reading, guys and gals. And what was your favorite game from 2013? Let me know!